Description: A summary of a preliminary report from the Committee on Valuation and Related Problems, on guidelines for quantifying balance sheet items in an insurance enterprise.

Description: This article describes the effect of different valuation interest rates and levels of surplus on income tax paid by life insurance companies via Phase 1 of the Federal Income Tax Act of 1959.

Description: The author explores reasons why blocks of business may become legacy blocks and discusses ways to decrease the likelihood of legacy blocks in the future.

Description: August Zilmer 1831-1893, a Prussian actuary best known for the development of preliminary term valuation, also made some observations on life insurance accounting that seem quite contemporary. Zillmer also wrote the first comprehensive German actuarial mathematics text in almost a century.

Description: Reports on the Florida winter meeting of the NAIC’s Life and Health Actuarial Task Force, LHATF, regarding an agreement that was reached on an approach to be taken to reconstitute the Standard Valuation Law, SVL, applicable to life insurers.

Description: As a result of over 30 states enacting Legislation permitting the use of an interest assumption as high as 4% in determining life insurance reserves, the Society of Actuaries Committee on Preparation and Publication of Monetary Values conducted a survey of insurance companies, consulting actuaries, and regulatory authorities to determine whether this change in legal valuation standards would create a need for the publication of 1958 CSO Monetary Values volumes at 4% interest. After a review of the results of this survey and a study of the computing and printing costs of such a project, the Society’s Board of Governors has authorized the Committee to solicit orders for such volumes.

Description: The June 1987 report on UL valuation and nonforfeiture, by the American Academy of Actuaries Universal Life Task Force under the Committee on Life Insurance, discussed whether long-term UL reserve sufficiencies should offset short-term deficiencies. This article discusses that issue.

Description: The author notes “the last major change in the Valuation and Non-forfeiture Laws occurred during the 1940's when the work of the Guertin Committee resulted in the adoption by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners NAIC of the Standard Valuation and Non-forfeiture Laws. While there have been a number of amendments to these laws since their adoption, both insurance department and company actuaries have concluded that there is need for a general overhaul of these standard laws to make them more responsive to today's business and regulatory needs.” The article goes on to discuss recent developments, recommendations, and legislative action, including the work of the Society of Actuaries Special Committee on Valuation and Non-forfeiture Laws, and the NAIC Technical Task Force.

Description: This is the first of two articles discussing the model laws governing minimum reserves and non-forfeiture values that the NAIC adopted in December 1980. The author, Chairman of the NAIC Technical Task Force on Valuation and Nonforfeiture Value Regulation, in this first article describes the objectives of the revision, which include updating assumptions, increasing flexibility, and improving the ability to deal with new types of products, the cooperative effort entailed, the actuary’s role and responsibilities in doing business under the new law, and the financial impact.

Description: Discussion of solvency problems and the actuary's role in addressing them in the life insurance industry.